Service-aware utilization of shared wireless resources

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and devices can be used to perform service-aware utilization of shared wireless resources. In various instances, a quality metric (e.g., a Bit Error Rate (BER)) of a shared wireless resource is determined. Requested services can be provided based at least partly on the quality metric and the type of services being requested. For example, when the quality metric exceeds a threshold and the requested services are for Quality of Service (QoS)-sensitive services (e.g., Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) services), the services can be provided at least partially via a licensed wireless resource. However, when the quality metric does not exceed the threshold, and/or the requested services are for non-QoS-sensitive services (e.g., non-GBR services), the services can be provided via the shared wireless resource.

BACKGROUND

Modern terrestrial telecommunication systems include heterogeneousmixtures of second, third, and fourth generation (2G, 3G, and 4G)cellular-wireless access technologies, which can be cross-compatible andcan operate collectively to provide data communication services. GlobalSystems for Mobile (GSM) is an example of 2G telecommunicationstechnologies; Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is anexample of 3G telecommunications technologies; and Long Term Evolution(LTE), including LTE Advanced, and Evolved High-Speed Packet Access(HSPA+) are examples of 4G telecommunications technologies. Movingforward, future telecommunications systems may include fifth generation(5G) cellular-wireless access technologies to provide improved bandwidthand decreased response times to a multitude of devices that may beconnected to a network.

Traditionally, service providers have obtained licenses to conductwireless communications in a particular range of frequencies, andaccordingly, have programmed base stations in a wireless network to usea fixed set of frequency resources. However, a number of user deviceshas grown over time, greatly increasing an amount of wireless traffic tobe handled by the wireless networks.

The Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) enables shared wirelessbroadband use of the 3550-3700 megahertz (MHz) band (3.5 gigahertz (GHz)band). Historically, a portion of the CBRS band has been used by theUnited States Navy, satellite service providers, and utilities. However,the CBRS band has recently been availed for new commercial mobile uses.

CBRS is governed by a three-tiered spectrum authorization framework toaccommodate a variety of commercial uses on a shared basis withincumbent users of the 3.5 GHz band. The three-tiered spectrumauthorization framework provides Incumbent Access users priority accessover Priority Access users, and Priority Access users priority accessover General Authorized Access users. Incumbent Access users includeauthorized federal and grandfathered Fixed Satellite Service users. TheFederal Communications Commission has implemented rules protecting suchusers from harmful interference from Priority Access and GeneralAuthorized Access users. That is, Incumbent Access users have priorityaccess to the 3.5 GHz band. Priority Access users are granted access tothe 3.5 GHz band via a Priority Access License assigned usingcompetitive bidding within the 3550-3650 MHz portion of the 3.5 GHzband. General Authorized Access users are granted access via alicensed-by-rule, which permits open, flexible access to any portion ofthe 3550-3700 MHz band, so long as the portion of the 3550-3700 MHz bandis not assigned to a higher tier (e.g., Incumbent Access or PriorityAccess). In some situations, access to the CBRS can be controlled, atleast in part, by a Spectrum Access System (SAS), which may utilizerules to protect the rights of Incumbent Access uses and Priority Accessusers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment including a base stationimplementing service-aware utilization of shared wireless resources, anetwork manager, and user equipment (UEs).

FIG. 2 illustrates an example base station configured to performservice-aware utilization of shared wireless resources, in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process for delivering requested servicesover shared and/or licensed resources, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process for delivering requested servicesover shared and/or licensed resources, in accordance with variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems, devices, and techniques described herein relate toservice-aware utilization of shared and licensed wireless resources.

In various embodiments, a device responsible for managing networktraffic routes both Quality-of-Service (QoS)-sensitive data traffic andnon-QoS-sensitive data traffic over shared wireless resources (e.g.,wireless resources in the CBRS band) when a quality metric (e.g., a BitError Rate (BER)) of the shared wireless resources is relatively low.However, when the quality metric is relatively high, the deviceselectively routes QoS-sensitive traffic at least partially overlicensed wireless resources, while routing non-QoS-sensitive datatraffic over the shared wireless resources. As a result, the device canpreferentially direct traffic over shared wireless resources whilereserving licensed wireless resources for QoS-sensitive data serviceswhen the quality metric is relatively high.

Embodiments of the present disclosure solve a number of problems in thefield of wireless communication. One such problem is the overutilizationof licensed wireless resources. When a mobile carrier, for example,routes all data traffic over wireless resources licensed by the mobilecarrier, the licensed wireless resources are more likely to becomecongested. Routing at least some data traffic over shared wirelessresources, as described in the present disclosure, addresses thisproblem by reducing demands on the licensed wireless resources.

Another problem solved by various embodiments of the present disclosureis the difficulty of maintaining an expected QoS when there is arelatively high demand for wireless resources. For example, data traffictransmitted over congested wireless resources can experience problems,such as noticeable latency, that negatively impact quality ofexperience. When the data traffic is not particularly QoS-sensitive,users are relatively unaffected by the congestion. However, when thedata traffic is QoS-sensitive, users may noticeably experience latencyor other issues associated with a poor quality of experience.Selectively reserving licensed wireless resources for GBR traffic, asdescribed with respect to certain embodiments of the present disclosure,addresses this problem by reducing the likelihood that QoS-sensitivedata traffic will be associated with a poor quality of experience.Embodiments of the present disclosure limit the use of licensed wirelessresources without negatively impacting quality of experience.

Embodiments of the present disclosure improve the technological field ofwireless communication in a variety of ways. Service-aware utilizationof shared wireless resources, such as CBRS resources, reduces congestionof licensed wireless resources, improves overall quality of experiencefor users, and more efficiently uses the shared wireless resources.These and other improvements to the functioning of a computer andnetwork are discussed herein.

The various functions, gateways, nodes, and components discussed hereincan be implemented either as a network element on a dedicated hardware,as a software instance running on a dedicated hardware, or as avirtualized function instantiated on an appropriate platform, such as acloud infrastructure.

The systems, devices, and techniques described herein can be implementedin a number of ways. Example implementations are provided below withreference to the following figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 including a base station102 implementing service-aware utilization of shared wireless resourcesand user equipment (UEs) 110 and 112.

The terms “base station,” “access point (AP),” or their equivalents, canrefer to one or more devices that can transmit and/or receive wirelessservices to and from one or more UEs in a coverage area. For example, abase station can be implemented as a variety of technologies to providewired and/or wireless access to the network, as discussed herein. Insome instances, a base station can include a 3GPP RAN, such a GSM/EDGERAN (GERAN), a Universal Terrestrial RAN (UTRAN), or an evolved UTRAN(E-UTRAN), or alternatively, a “non-3GPP” RAN, such as a Wi-Fi RAN, oranother type of wireless local area network (WLAN) that is based on theIEEE 802.11 standards. Further, a base station can include any numberand type of transceivers and/or base stations representing any numberand type of macrocells, microcells, picocells, or femtocells, forexample, with any type or amount of overlapping coverage or mutuallyexclusive coverage.

The term “wireless resource,” or its equivalents, may include a resourceover which data can be transmitted wirelessly. A wireless resource caninclude at least one of one or more wireless bands, one or morechannels, one or more sub-channels, one or more carriers, one or moresub-carriers, etc.

The term “wireless band,” or its equivalents, can refer to a range ofelectromagnetic frequencies in electromagnetic spectrum that can be usedfor wireless communication. For example, a wireless band can includefrequency resources in at least one of a CBRS band (e.g., a 3550-3700MHz band), an LTE Band 71 (e.g., a 600 MHz band), an LTE Band 48 (e.g.,3500 MHz), and the like. In some instances, the frequency resources caninclude, but are not limited to, LTE Band 1 (e.g., 2100 MHz), LTE Band 2(1900 MHz), LTE Band 3 (1800 MHz), LTE Band 4 (1700 MHz), LTE Band 5(850 MHz), LTE Band 7 (2600 MHz), LTE Band 8 (900 MHz), LTE Band 20 (800MHz GHz), LTE Band 28 (700 MHz), LTE Band 38 (2600 MHz), LTE Band 41(2500 MHz), LTE Band 50 (1500 MHz), LTE Band 51 (1500 MHz), LTE Band 66(1700 MHz), LTE Band 70 (2000 MHz), and LTE Band 74 (1500 MHz). In someinstances, frequency resources in the range of 600 MHz-6000 MHz can bereferred as “low-band” and “mid-band.” In some instances, the frequencyresources may include “millimeter wave” bands including, but not limitedto 26 GHz, 28 GHz, 38 GHz, 60 GHz, and the like. The techniquesdiscussed herein are applicable to any frequency resources and are notlimited to those expressly recited above.

The base station 102 can be associated with coverage area 106. In someinstances, the coverage area 106 can correspond to a geographic regionwhere communications over first and second wireless bands are supportedby the base station 102. For example, coverage area 106 is a regionwhere communication over a shared and licensed wireless resources aresupported by the base station 102.

The term “shared wireless resource,” or its equivalents, can refer towireless a resource that is at least partially reserved for shared use.The CBRS band is an example of a shared wireless resource, sinceresources (e.g., channels) in the CBRS band are shared by IncumbentAccess users, Priority Access users, and General Authorized Accessusers. A shared wireless resource can be at least partially reserved orlicensed. For example, channels in the CBRS band can be at leastpartially reserved for Incumbent Access users and Priority Access users,while still qualifying as shared wireless resources.

The term “licensed wireless resource,” or its equivalents, can refer toa wireless resource that is at least partially reserved for use bylicensee(s) and/or assignee(s). For example, a licensee can beauthorized to use a licensed wireless resource in the U.S. by theFederal Communication Commission (FCC), but a non-licensee is notauthorized to use the licensed wireless resource.

The term “unlicensed wireless resource,” or its equivalents, can referto a wireless resource that is unencumbered by licenses, and can be usedby various unlicensed users.

Although coverage area 106 is illustrated as a single geographic region,in some embodiments, coverage area 106 includes multiple coverage areascorresponding respectively to multiple frequency bands. In someinstances, lower frequency wireless resources can be transmitted over abroader coverage area than higher frequency wireless resources. Forexample, an area where base station 102 provides wireless coverage usinga licensed LTE band may be larger than an area where base station 102provides wireless coverage using the CBRS band, where the LTE bandincludes a lower range of electromagnetic frequencies than the CBRSband.

In some instances, the base station 102 may be associated with UEs 110and 112, which are each located in coverage area 106. The terms “userequipment (UE),” “user device,” “wireless communication device,”“wireless device,” “communication device,” “mobile device,” and “clientdevice,” can be used interchangeably to describe any UE that is capableof transmitting/receiving data wirelessly using any suitable wirelesscommunications/data technology, protocol, or standard, such as GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE(LTE+), New Radio (NR), Generic Access Network (GAN), Unlicensed MobileAccess (UMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (OFDM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS),Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Advanced Mobile Phone System(AMPS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), evolved HSPA (HSPA+), Voiceover IP (VoIP), VoLTE, Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers' (IEEE) 802.1x protocols, WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Data Over CableService Interface Specification (DOCSIS), digital subscriber line (DSL),CBRS, and/or any future IP-based network technology or evolution of anexisting IP-based network technology. Examples of UEs can include, butare not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, tabletcomputers, portable computers, laptop computers, personal digitalassistants (PDAs), electronic book devices, or any other portableelectronic devices that can generate, request, receive, transmit, orexchange voice, video, and/or digital data over a network. Additionalexamples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smart devices such astelevisions, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, smart mirrors,coffee machines, lights, lamps, temperature sensors, leak sensors, watersensors, electricity meters, parking sensors, music players, headphones,or any other electronic appliances that can generate, request, receive,transmit, or exchange voice, video, and/or digital data over a network.

Because UEs 110 and 112 are located in the coverage area 106, the basestation 102 can provide services to UEs 110 and 112 over wirelessresources available to the base station 102. The base station 102 may beable to provide services to UEs 110 and 112 over shared wirelessresources, licensed wireless resources, and/or unlicensed wirelessresources. For example, the base station 102 can provide services to UEs110 and 112 over available channels in a shared wireless resource, suchas the CBRS band, and/or a licensed wireless resource, such as an LTEband.

A network manager 104 may be in communication with the base station 102and may inform the base station 102 of available wireless resources inthe coverage area 106. In some implementations, the network manager 104may allocate wireless bands and/or channels that the base station 102can use for wireless communication in the coverage area 106. Anindication of the wireless bands allocated to the base station 102 canbe communicated from the network manager 104 to the base station 102.For example, the network manager 104 may include, or be in communicationwith, a Spectrum Access System (SAS) 116, which can identify at leastone available CBRS channel that is unused by Incumbent Access orPriority Access users in the coverage area 106 of the base station 102.Although not illustrated, network manager 104 can allocate availablespectrum to multiple base stations including base station 102.

The network manager 104 can include functionality to monitor a use ofthe CBRS band by one or more of Incumbent Access users, Priority Accessusers, and General Authorized Access (GAA) users. For example, thenetwork manager 104 can include a database indicating which wirelessresources are used by which users (e.g., Incumbents, Priority, andGeneral), at which times, and at which locations. In some instances,when a UE (e.g., UE 110) is in communication with the base station 102via CBRS resources, the base station 102 can provide an indication tothe network manger 104 that the UE is using particular CBRS resources,and accordingly, that the particular CBRS resources should not beallocated to another base station, or another user device.

In various embodiments, the base station 102 is configured to provideservices between UEs (e.g., UEs 110 and 112) and a core network 114. Asused herein, the term “core network,” “carrier network, or theirequivalents, can refer to an architectural framework for providingservices to one or more UEs. A core network, for example, can provideservices to a UE from a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet.In some instances, core network is an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core(sometimes referred to as an “IMS core network,” an “IMS network,” a“Core Network (CN),” or an “IM CN Subsystem”). IMS is an architecturalframework defined by the 3^(rd) Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)for delivering Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia to a UE. The IMS corecan be maintained and/or operated by one or more service providers, suchas one or more wireless carriers (“carriers”), that provide IMS-basedservices to a user who is associated with the UE. For example, a serviceprovider can offer multimedia telephony services that allow a user tocall or message other users via the IMS core using his/her UE. A usercan also utilize an associated UE to receive, provide, or otherwiseinteract with various different IMS-based services by accessing the IMScore. It is to be appreciated that any number of base stations, such asbase station 102, and/or IMS nodes can be included in the IMS network.

An operator of the IMS core can offer any type of IMS-based service,such as, telephony services, emergency services (e.g., E911), gamingservices, instant messaging services, presence services, videoconferencing services, social networking and sharing services,location-based services, push-to-talk services, and so on. In order toaccess these services (e.g., telephony services), a UE is configured torequest establishment of a communication session. In the case oftelephony services, the communication session can comprise a call (e.g.,a voice-based communication session, such as a VoLTE call, or a Wi-Ficall).

In some embodiments, the base station 102 receives a request forservices from a UE, e.g., UE 110. The base station 102 forwards therequest to the core network 114. In response, the core network 114returns the requested services, and the services are delivered to the UE110 over one or more available wireless resources. The one or moreavailable wireless resources may be part of wireless resources allocatedto the base station 102 by the network manager 104. In some embodiments,the base station 102 provides both uplink (UL) and downlink (DL)services between the UE 110 and the core network 114 via one or more ULand DL wireless resources, e.g., channels. Accordingly, a base station102 may “provide services” to a UE by receiving data from the UE overone or more UL resources and/or delivering data to the UE over one ormore DL resources.

In response to receiving the request for services from a UE, e.g., UE110 or 112, the base station 102 selects the one or more wirelessresources based at least in part on the types of services requested bythe UE. In various embodiments, the base station 102 selects the one ormore wireless resources based on whether the UE is requesting Quality ofService (QoS)-sensitive services. The base station 102 may determine therequested services are QoS-sensitive services when they are sensitive tothe effects of network congestion during transmission.

As used herein, the term “Quality of Service (QoS)-sensitive services,”or its equivalents, can refer to services that are likely to benoticeably and negatively impacted when they are transmitted overrelatively low-performance wireless resources. QoS-sensitive servicesinclude, for example, lag-sensitive services such as conversationalvoice services. In some instances, QoS-sensitive services are predefinedby a carrier according to trends in user expectations and userexperience. For example, a carrier may define services associated with aparticular mobile application (e.g., a baby monitor application, aconversational video application, a home alarm application, etc.) asQoS-sensitive services when customers of the carrier have indicated thatthey expect those services to be lag-, error-, and or outage-free. Insome instances, the types of services requested by the UE arecategorized into Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) or non-GBR services and aredetermined to be QoS-sensitive services when they are GBR services.

The term “GBR services,” or its equivalents, can refer to a designationfor services that are delivered via a guaranteed bandwidth or bit rate.GBR services may be QoS-sensitive services. For example, GBR servicesmay include any of conversational voice services, conversational video(live streaming) services, real time gaming services, Vehicle-to-X (V2X)message electricity distribution services, process automation(monitoring) services, non-conversational video (buffered streaming)services, mission critical user plane Push to Talk (PTT) voice services,non-mission-critical user plane PTT voice services, mission criticalvideo user plane services, and certain V2X message services. In someexamples, GBR services may include different types of QoS-sensitiveservices.

The term “non-GBR services,” or its equivalents, can refer to servicesthat can be delivered via any available bandwidth or bit rate, or areotherwise not guaranteed a bandwidth or bit rate. Non-GBR services maybe QoS-insensitive, or at least less QoS-sensitive than GBR services.For example, non-GBR services may include any of browsing services,Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) signaling services,Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)-based video (buffered streaming)services, voice services, video (live streaming) services, interactivegaming services, Mission Critical delay sensitive signaling services,Mission Critical Data services, certain V2X message services, augmentedreality services, and Low-latency Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)applications (TCP/User Datagram Protocol (UDP)-based) services. In someexamples, non-GBR services may include different types of relativelyQoS-insensitive services.

The base station 102 may also select the one or more wireless resourcesby which to provide the services based at least in part on by networkconditions in the coverage area 106. The network conditions of thecoverage area 106 are assessed by determining a quality metricassociated with a wireless band in the coverage area 106. In someembodiments, the base station 102 determines a quality metric associatedwith a shared wireless band, such as a CBRS band.

As used herein, the term “quality metric,” or its equivalents, can referto a measurement of a wireless resource that indicates a performance ofthe wireless resource. For example, a quality metric of a wirelessresource can be based at least in part on any of a Bit Error Rate (BER)of the wireless resource, a latency of the wireless resource, an inverseof throughput of the wireless resource, an inverse of a goodput of thewireless resource, a transmission delay of the wireless resource, acongestion level of the wireless resource, and any other measurement ofthe performance of the wireless resource. In some instances, a qualitymetric of a wireless band can be a quality metric of a single channel inthe wireless band, an average quality metric of multiple channels in thewireless band, an aggregate quality metric of multiple channels in thewireless band, or a combination thereof.

The term “BER,” or its equivalents, can refer to a rate at which errorsoccur in one or more data streams over one or more data channels. Forexample, the BER of a specific wireless band can be a BER measured overone channel in the specific wireless band, an average BER of multiplechannels in the specific wireless band, an aggregate BER over multiplechannels in the specific wireless band, or any other BER-related metricof the shared wireless band.

The quality metric can indicate whether the shared wireless band isrelatively congested, overutilized, and/or inserting a certain level ofnoise into wireless transmissions. The quality metric can further beused to predict a future performance of the shared wireless band. Insome instances, the base station 102 may further compare the qualitymetric to a particular threshold. For example, the base station 102 maydetermine whether the quality metric (e.g., a BER) of one or morechannels in the shared wireless band exceeds a threshold.

In some embodiments, the base station 102 provides QoS-sensitive andnon-QoS-sensitive services over shared wireless resources (e.g., one ormore channels in a shared wireless band, such as a CBRS band) when thequality metric of the shared wireless resources does not exceed athreshold, provides non-QoS-sensitive services over the shared wirelessresources regardless of whether the quality metric of the sharedwireless band exceeds the threshold, and provides QoS-sensitive servicesat least partially over licensed wireless resources (e.g., one or morechannels in a wireless band specifically licensed to the carrier) whenthe quality metric of the shared wireless resource exceeds thethreshold. The shared wireless band and the licensed wireless band maybe different bands.

In certain instances, the base station 102 is configured to performcarrier aggregation. For example, the base station 102 may provideQoS-sensitive services via an aggregated resource when the qualitymetric exceeds the threshold, wherein the aggregated resource includesone or more available channels in the licensed wireless resources as aprimary carrier and one or more available channels in the sharedwireless resources as a non-primary carrier (e.g., a secondary carrier).Thus, in certain embodiments, the base station 102 may provideQoS-sensitive services over both shared and licensed wireless resourceswhen the quality metric exceeds the threshold.

In a specific example, base station 102 receives a request for GBRservices (e.g., conversational voice services) from UE 110. The basestation 102 checks the BER of a shared wireless resource (e.g., one ormore channels in the shared wireless band). If the BER exceeds athreshold, the base station 102 can provide the GBR services to the UE110 via a licensed wireless resource (e.g., at least one availablechannel in the licensed wireless band). In some instances, the basestation 102 provides the GBR services to the UE 110 exclusively over oneor more licensed wireless resources when the BER exceeds the threshold.

If, however, the BER does not exceed the threshold, the base station 102can provide the GBR services to the UE 110 via at least one availablechannel in the shared wireless band. In some instances, the base station102 provides the GBR services to the UE 110 exclusively via one or moreavailable channels in the shared wireless band.

In another example, base station 102 receives a request for non-GBRservices (e.g., internet browsing services) from UE 112. Regardless ofthe BER of the one or more channels in the shared wireless band, thebase station 102 provides the non-GBR services to the UE 112 via atleast one available channel in the shared wireless band. In someinstances, the base station provides the non-GBR services to the UE 112exclusively via one or more available channels in the shared wirelessband.

In some instances, the environment 100 can further include one or morecommunication servers to facilitate communications by and between thevarious devices in the environment 100. The core network 114, forexample, can include the one or more servers. That is, environment 100can include any computing devices implementing various aspects of one ormore of second, third, fourth generation, and fifth generation (2G, 3G,4G, and 5G) cellular-wireless access technologies, which may becross-compatible and may operate collectively to provide datacommunication services. Global Systems for Mobile (GSM) is an example of2G telecommunications technologies; Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS) is an example of 3G telecommunications technologies; andLong Term Evolution (LTE), including LTE Advanced, and EvolvedHigh-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) are examples of 4G telecommunicationstechnologies. Thus, the environment 100 may implement GSM, UMTS, and/orLTE/LTE Advanced telecommunications technologies. The environment 100may include, but is not limited to, a combination of: base transceiverstations BTSs (e.g., NodeBs, Enhanced-NodeBs), Radio Network Controllers(RNCs), serving GPRS support nodes (SGSNs), gateway GPRS support nodes(GGSNs), proxies, a mobile switching center (MSC), a mobility managemententity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a packet data network (PDN)gateway (PGW), an evolved packet data gateway (e-PDG), an InternetProtocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any other data trafficcontrol entity configured to communicate and/or route data packetsbetween the UEs 110 and 112, and one or more endpoints of the network(e.g., servers, websites, etc.). While FIG. 1 illustrates the exampleenvironment 100, it is understood in the context of this document, thatthe techniques discussed herein may also be implemented in othernetworking technologies, such as nodes that are part of a wide areanetwork (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network(LAN), neighborhood area network (NAN), personal area network (PAN), orthe like.

In some instances, the UEs 110 and 112 can communicate with any numberof user equipment, servers, network devices, computing devices, and thelike.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example base station 200 configured to performservice-aware utilization of shared wireless resources, in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure. In some instances, the basestation 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 corresponds to the base station 102illustrated in FIG. 1. In the context of the present disclosure, thebase station 200 can be implemented as a single device or as a pluralityof devices over which components and data are distributed.

The base station 200 includes a memory 202. The memory can include, forexample, an allocated wireless resource component 206, a quality metriccomponent 208, a Quality of Service (QoS)-sensitivity component 210, achannel selection component 212, and a carrier aggregation component214. The base station 200 further includes processor(s) 216, removablestorage 218, non-removable storage 220, input device(s) 222, outputdevice(s) 224, and transceiver(s) 226.

In various embodiments, the memory 202 is volatile (such as RandomAccess Memory (RAM)), non-volatile (such as Read-Only Memory (ROM),flash memory, etc.), or some combination of the two. The allocatedwireless resource component 206, quality metric component 208,QoS-sensitivity component 210, channel selection component 214, andcarrier aggregation component 212, which are stored in the memory 202,can comprise methods, threads, processes, objects, modules, applicationsor any other sort of executable instructions. The allocated wirelessresource component 206, quality metric component 208, QoS-sensitivitycomponent 210, and carrier aggregation component 214, which are storedin the memory 202 can also include files and databases.

In some embodiments, the allocated wireless resource component 206includes functionality to store and/or track wireless resourcesallocated to the base station 200. For example, the allocated wirelessresource component 206 can store indications of one or more wirelessresources that have been allocated to the base station 200 by a networkmanager, e.g., network manager 114. In some instances, the allocatedwireless resource component 206 can configure the base station 200 tooperate using the one or more wireless resources by exchanging data withone or more UEs using the one or more wireless resources viatransceiver(s) 226. In some instances, the allocated wireless resourcecomponent 206 can update the allocated wireless resource information aswireless resources are allocated and deallocated to and from the basestation 200.

In various embodiments, the quality metric component 208 includesfunctionality to measure, track, and/or monitor a quality metric of oneor more wireless resources. The wireless resources may include one ormore wireless channels connecting the base station 200 and one or moredevices. In some embodiments, the quality metric component 208 is usedto measure the quality metric of at least one channel in a sharedwireless band, e.g., a CBRS wireless band.

The quality metric component 208 can measure the quality metric in avariety of ways. For example, the quality metric component 208 maymeasure the BER of a channel by causing the transceiver(s) 226 totransmit a bit sequence over a particular channel to a receiving entity(e.g., a UE), determining a number of different bits between the bitsequence received by the receiving entity and the original transmittedbit sequence, and calculating the ratio of different bits to the totalnumber of bits in the transmitted bit sequence. In some instances, thenumber of different bits are calculated by the receiving entity, and anindication of the number of different bits are received by thetransceiver(s) 226.

In certain embodiments, the quality metric component 208 can calculatethe quality metric by combining different performance measurements. Forexample, the quality metric component 208 may combine the BER of awireless resource with a latency of the wireless resource. In someembodiments, the quality metric is an array containing differentperformance measurements. For example, a quality metric of a wirelessresource can be represented by [q₁, q₂, . . . , q_(n)], where each ofq₁, q₂, . . . , q_(n) is a different performance metric (e.g., BER,latency, a performance metric at a particular time, a maximumperformance metric during a particular time period, etc.).

The quality metric component 208 can include functionality to aggregateand/or average the quality metrics of multiple channels, or multiplequality metrics of the same channel measured at different times. In someembodiments, the quality metric component 208 calculates the qualitymetric of a shared wireless band periodically, in response to receivinga request for services, or both.

The quality metric component 208 may further include functionality toassess the performance of a wireless resource by comparing the qualitymetric to a threshold. The threshold can be static or dynamic. Thethreshold can be preset by a service provider based on customerexpectations. In some instances, the quality metric component 208determines that the wireless resource is relatively overburdened,congested, and/or is inserting a certain amount of noise intotransmissions when the quality metric exceeds the threshold. Like thequality metric, the threshold can be represented by a vector array. Forexample, the threshold can be represented by [q*₁, q*₂, . . . , q*_(n)],where each of q*₁, q*₂, . . . , q*_(n) is a threshold of a particularperformance metric. In some instances, in which both the quality metricand the threshold are vector arrays, the quality metric component 208determines that the quality metric exceeds the threshold when any valueof the quality metric exceeds its corresponding value in the threshold,or when a certain number (e.g., all) of the values of the quality metricexceeds their corresponding values in the threshold array.

In various embodiments, the QoS-sensitivity component 210 includesfunctionality to determine whether a request for services is forQoS-sensitive services. For example, the base station 200 may receive arequest for services via transceiver(s) 226, and may determine whetherthe request is for QoS-sensitive services by analyzing the request. Insome instances, the request may be a data packet with one or more datafields indicating a type of services requested. In some instances, theQoS-sensitive component 210 may identify that a request is forQoS-sensitive services when the type of services requested is indicatedin a predetermined list of QoS-sensitive services. The list ofQoS-sensitive services can be stored locally at the base station 200. Incertain embodiments, the QoS-sensitivity component 210 can be used toidentify whether the type of services corresponds to a type of GBRservices or a type of non-GBR services.

In some instances, the base station 200 may determine whether therequest is for QoS-sensitive services by forwarding the request to acore network and receiving an indication that the request is forQoS-sensitive services from the core network. This indication can be oneor more QoS-sensitive data packets, for example.

In various embodiments, the channel selection component 212 includesfunctionality to select one or more wireless channels via which todeliver services in response to a request for services. In someembodiments, the channel selection component 212 selects the one or morechannels in shared wireless resources when the quality metric component208 indicates that a quality metric of the shared wireless resourcesdoes not exceed a threshold, and/or when the QoS-sensitivity component210 indicates that the request is for non-QoS-sensitive services. Incertain embodiments, the channel selection component 212 selects atleast one of the one or more channels in licensed wireless resourceswhen the quality metric component 208 indicates that the quality metricof the shared wireless band(s) exceeds the threshold and theQoS-sensitivity component 210 indicates that the request is forQoS-sensitive services.

In some embodiments, the carrier aggregation component 212 includesfunctionality to perform carrier aggregation on multiple selectedwireless resources. That is, the carrier aggregation component 212 caninclude functionality to aggregate (e.g., combine or use multiple)component carriers in one or more wireless resources (e.g., one or morefrequency bands) to increase a bandwidth over which to provide servicesto one or more UEs. In some instances, the carrier aggregation component212 can use contiguous component carriers (e.g., intra band), and insome instances, the carrier aggregation component 212 can useintra-band, non-contiguous carriers, or inter-band, non-contiguouscarriers. In some instances, the carrier aggregation component 212 canaggregate carriers associated with the one or more wireless resourcesprovided to the base station 200 to increase a bandwidth to a UE. Forexample, when the channel selection component 212 selects multiplewireless channels via which to deliver services, the carrier aggregationcomponent 212 aggregates the multiple wireless channels.

In some embodiments in which the channel selection component 212 selectsat least one channel in licensed wireless resources and at least onechannel in shared wireless resources (e.g., when the quality metric ofthe shared wireless resources exceeds a threshold and the request is forQoS-sensitive services), the carrier aggregation component 212 generatesan aggregated resource with the at least one channel in the licensedwireless resources as a primary component carrier and the at least onechannel in the shared wireless resources as a non-primary (e.g.,secondary) component carrier.

In some embodiments, the processor(s) 216 is a central processing unit(CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both CPU and GPU, or otherprocessing unit or component known in the art.

The base station 200 also includes additional data storage devices(removable and/or non-removable) such as, for example, magnetic disks,optical disks, or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 2by removable storage 218 and non-removable storage 220. Tangiblecomputer-readable media can include volatile and non-volatile, removableand non-removable media implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information, such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. The memory 202, theremovable storage 218, and the non-removable storage 220 are allexamples of computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable storagemedia include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory,or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile discs (DVD),content-addressable memory (CAM), or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by the base station 200.Any such tangible computer-readable media can be part of the basestation 200.

The base station 200 may be configured to communicate over atelecommunications network using any common wireless and/or wirednetwork access technology. Moreover, the base station 200 may beconfigured to run any compatible device operating system (OS).

The base station 200 also can include input device(s) 222, such as akeypad, a cursor control, a touch-sensitive display, voice input device,etc., and output device(s) 224 such as a display, speakers, printers,etc. These devices are well known in the art and need not be discussedat length here.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the base station 200 also includes one or morewired or wireless transceiver(s) 226. For example, the transceiver(s)226 can include a network interface card (NIC), a network adapter, a LANadapter, or a physical, virtual, or logical address to connect tovarious network or the network manager 114 illustrated in theenvironment 100, for example. To increase throughput when exchangingwireless data, the transceiver(s) 226 can utilizemultiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) technology. The transceiver(s) 226can comprise any sort of wireless transceivers capable of engaging inwireless, radio frequency (RF) communication. The transceiver(s) 226 canalso include other wireless modems, such as a modem for engaging inWi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, infrared communication, and the like.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate example processes in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure. These processes are illustratedas logical flow graphs, each operation of which represents a sequence ofoperations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. In the context of software, the operationsrepresent computer-executable instructions stored on one or morecomputer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described operations can be combinedin any order and/or in parallel, and can be performed multiple times, toimplement the processes.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 for delivering requestedservices over shared and/or licensed resources, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure. The example process 300can be performed by the base station 102 (or 200), in connection withother components discussed herein. Some or all of process 300 can beperformed by one or more devices, equipment, or components illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 2, for example.

At operation 302, a request for services is received. The request can bereceived by a base station from a user equipment (UE) in a coverage areaassociated with the base station. In various embodiments, the request isa data packet including a header and a payload. In some examples, therequest is received from the UE over a wireless link.

At operation 304, a bit error rate (BER) of a shared wireless resourceis measured. The shared wireless resource may include one or morechannels allocated and/or available to the base station within a sharedwireless resource. For example, the base station can measure the BER ofone or more channels in a CBRS band that have been allocated to the basestation by a network manager and/or a Spectrum Access System (SAS).

At operation 306, the process 300 includes determining whether the BERexceeds a threshold. In some instances, operation 306 can be used toassess whether the shared wireless resource is relatively overburdened,congested, and/or likely to negatively impact QoS-sensitive trafficrouted over the shared wireless resource. The BER can be calculated inresponse to receiving the request, periodically, or both. For example,the base station calculates the BER immediately after receiving arequest for services. In some examples, the BER can be calculated by thebase station at a predetermined frequency. For instance, the BER can becalculated by the base station at a predetermined frequency, andadditionally in response to receiving a request for services.

The BER can be measured, for example, by causing transceiver(s) totransmit a bit sequence over a particular channel to a receiving entity,determining a number of different bits between the bit sequence receivedby the receiving entity and the original transmitted bit sequence, andcalculating the ratio of different bits to the total number of bits inthe transmitted bit sequence. In some instances, the number of differentbits is calculated by the receiving entity, and an indication of thenumber of different bits are received by the transceiver(s) from thereceiving entity.

If the BER is determined to exceed the threshold at operation 306, theprocess 300 continues to operation 308. At operation 308, the process300 includes determining whether the request is for Guaranteed Bit Rate(GBR) services. In some instances, the base station determines whetherthe request is for GBR services by inspecting one or more data fields ofthe request. For example, the header and/or the payload of the requestare inspected for an indication of the type of services being requested.

In some instances, the base station determines whether the request isfor GBR services by forwarding the request to a core network, receivingone or more data packets associated with the services, and determiningthat the services are GBR services based on the one or more datapackets.

If the request is determined to be for GBR services at operation 308,the process 300 continues to operation 310. At operation 310, theservices are provided via at least one channel in a licensed resource.In some instances, the services are provided exclusively via one or morechannels in a licensed wireless band. In some embodiments, the servicesare provided via an aggregated resource. For instance, the aggregatedresource includes one or more channels in a licensed wireless band as aprimary component carrier and one or more channels in a shared wirelessband (e.g., a CBRS band) as a non-primary component carrier.

On the other hand, if the BER is determined to not exceed the thresholdat operation 306, or if the request is determined to be for non-GBRservices at operation 308, the process 300 continues to operation 312.At operation 312, the services are provided to the UE originating therequest via at least one available channel in a shared resource. In someembodiments, the shared resource is a CBRS band. The at least oneavailable channel in the CBRS band can include, for example, a GeneralAuthorized Access channel of the CBRS band. In some instances, theservices are provided exclusively via the shared resource in operation312, such that no licensed resources are utilized to deliver theservices to the UE originating the request for the services.

Although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the one or more channels over whichthe services are provided in operations 310 or 312 can be allocated tothe base station in advance. For example, the base station mayadditionally receive an indication from a network manager of at leastone available channel in the shared resource and provide the services tothe UE at operation 312 using the at least one available channel atoperation 312.

In addition, although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the base station canreceive other requests for services from the UE, or from a different UE,and independently select wireless resources over which to provide thoseservices. For example, at the same time as performing process 300 withrespect to a first request from a first user device, the base stationcan receive a second request for services from a second user device,determine whether the second request is for GBR services, and providethe requested services based on whether the BER of the shared resourceexceeds the threshold and whether the second request is for GBRservices.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 for delivering requestedservices over shared and/or licensed resources, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present disclosure. The example process 400can be performed by the base station 102 (or 200), in connection withother components discussed herein. Some or all of process 400 can beperformed by one or more devices, equipment, or components illustratedin FIGS. 1 and 2, for example.

At operation 402, a quality metric of a shared wireless resource isdetermined. The quality metric can include, for example, a Bit ErrorRate (BER) of at least one channel in the shared wireless resource. Insome embodiments, the quality metric can be based at least in part on atleast one feature of the shared wireless resource selected from BER,latency, throughput, goodput, and congestion. In various embodiments,the shared wireless resource is a CBRS band. In some instances, thequality metric is compared to a threshold. The threshold can be apredetermined threshold stored locally.

At operation 404, in response to receiving a request for services, theprocess 400 includes determining whether the request is for Quality ofService (QoS)-sensitive services. In some instances, the request isdetermined to be for QoS-sensitive services when it is for GuaranteedBit Rate (GBR) services. However, in some embodiments, QoS-sensitiveservices can be defined differently. For example, the request may bedetermined to be for QoS-sensitive services when it is for services thatare known to be sensitive to delays and/or errors during transmission,regardless of whether the services are guaranteed a bit rate duringtransmission. Although FIG. 4 illustrates operation 404 as followingoperation 402, in some embodiments, operation 404 is performed beforeoperation 402.

At operation 406, one or more channels among the shared wirelessresource and/or a licensed wireless resource are selected. In operation406, the one or more channels may be selected based at least in part onthe quality metric of the shared resource determined at operation 402and whether the request is for QoS-sensitive services, as determined atoperation 404. The one or more channels may include uplink and/ordownlink channels.

In some examples, the one or more channels selected at operation 406 areexclusively in the shared wireless resource when the quality metric doesnot exceed the threshold and/or when the request is fornon-QoS-sensitive services. However, in some examples, the one or morechannels selected at operation 406 are at least partially selected inthe licensed wireless resource when the quality metric exceeds thethreshold and the request is for QoS-sensitive services.

In some instances, the one or more channels selected at operation 406are exclusively in the CBRS band when a BER of the CBRS band does notexceed a predetermined threshold and/or when the request is for non-GBRservices. However, in some examples, the one or more channels selectedat operation 406 are at least partially selected in a licensed band whenthe BER exceeds the threshold and the request is for GBR-services.

At operation 408, the services are provided at least partially via theone or more channels selected at operation 406. In some instances, theservices are provided via an aggregated resource including multiplechannels as component carriers. For example, if multiple channels in theshared wireless resource are selected at operation 406, the multiplechannels can be combined into an aggregated resource using channelaggregation, and the services are provided via the aggregated resource.In some examples, multiple channels selected at operation 406 caninclude at least one channel in the shared wireless resource and atleast one channel the licensed wireless resource, and the services areprovided via an aggregated resource including the at least one channelin the shared wireless resource and the at least one channel in thelicensed wireless resource. For instance, the aggregated resource caninclude at least one channel in the licensed wireless resource as aprimary component carrier and at least one channel in the sharedwireless resource as a non-primary (e.g., secondary) component carrier.

In some embodiments, one or more operations in process 400 are performedrepeatedly. For example, operations 402, 406, and 408 can be performedevery time a request for services is received, periodically, or both.

In various embodiments, if the BER exceeds a threshold and the requestis for GBR services, the one or more selected channels may include atleast one channel in a licensed band. In some instances, in which theone or more selected channels are aggregated using carrier aggregation,the one or more selected channels may include at least one channel inthe licensed band as a primary carrier and include at least one channelin the shared band as a non-primary carrier, when the BER exceeds thethreshold and the request is for GBR services.

If, on the other hand, the BER does not exceed the threshold and/or therequest is for non-GBR services, the one or more selected channels mayinclude at least one channel in the shared band. In certain embodiments,in which the BER does not exceed the threshold and/or the request is fornon-GBR services, the one or more selected channels are exclusively inthe shared band, such that no channels are selected in a licensed band.

The services are provided via the one or more selected channels atoperation 408. In various embodiments, the services are provided betweena core network and a UE originating the request.

Thus, services can be delivered using wireless resources that areselected based at least in part on a current quality of the wirelessresources and a sensitivity of the services to the quality of thewireless resources. In various embodiments, the use of licensedresources can be limited by primarily delivering the services to arequesting user device over shared resources without significantlyimpacting the quality of experience of the user of the device.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; amemory; and one or more components stored in the memory and executableby the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:determining that a bit error rate (BER) of a shared wireless resourceexceeds a threshold; receiving a request from a user device; determiningthat the request is for guaranteed bit rate (GBR) services; and based atleast in part on determining that the BER of the shared wirelessresource exceeds the threshold, providing the GBR services to the userdevice via a licensed wireless resource.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the shared wireless resource is a Citizens Broadband RadioService (CBRS) band.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the GBRservices to the user device via at the licensed wireless resourceincludes providing the GBR services via an aggregated resource includingat least one channel of the licensed wireless resource as a primarycomponent carrier and at least one channel of the shared wirelessresource as a non-primary component carrier.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the operations further comprise: subsequent to initiating theproviding determining that the BER of the shared wireless resource doesnot exceed the threshold; and in response to determining that the BER ofthe shared wireless resource does not exceed the threshold, providingthe GBR services to the user device via the shared wireless resource. 5.A method comprising: determining that a bit error rate (BER) of a sharedwireless resource exceeds a threshold; receiving a request from a userdevice; determining that the request is for guaranteed bit rate (GBR)services; and based at least in part on determining that the BER of theshared wireless resource exceeds the threshold, providing the GBRservices to the user device via a licensed wireless resource.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein determining that the BER of the sharedwireless resource exceeds the threshold includes: periodicallycalculating the BER of the shared wireless resource; and determiningthat the BER of the shared wireless resource exceeds a predeterminedthreshold.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the request fromthe user device includes receiving the request from the user device overa wireless link.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that therequest is for GBR services includes determining the request is for atleast one of conversational voice services, conversational videoservices, real-time gaming services, non-conversational video services,Push To Talk (PTT) voice services, or Vehicle-to-X (V2X) services. 9.The method of claim 5, wherein the shared wireless resource is aCitizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.
 10. The method of claim 5,wherein providing the GBR services to the user device the licensedwireless resource includes providing the GBR services via an aggregatedresource including at least one channel of the licensed wirelessresource as a primary component carrier and at least one channel of theshared wireless resource as a non-primary component carrier.
 11. Themethod of claim 5, the request being a first request, the user devicebeing a first user device, the method further comprising: receiving asecond request from a second user device; determining the second requestis for non-GBR services; and providing the non-GBR services to thesecond user device via the shared wireless resource.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the shared wireless resource is a Citizens BroadbandRadio Service (CBRS) band, and wherein providing the non-GBR services tothe second user device via the shared wireless resource includesproviding the non-GBR services to the second user device via at leastone General Authorized Access (GAA) channel of the CBRS band.
 13. Themethod of claim 11, wherein providing the non-GBR services to the seconduser device via the shared wireless resource includes exclusivelyproviding the non-GBR services to the second user device via the sharedwireless resource.
 14. The method of claim 5, further comprising:subsequent to the providing, determining that the BER of the sharedwireless resource does not exceed the threshold; and in response todetermining that the BER of the shared wireless resource does not exceedthe threshold, providing the GBR services to the user device via theshared wireless resource.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein providingthe GBR services to the user device via the shared wireless resourceincludes: receiving an indication of at least one available CitizensBroadband Radio Service (CBRS) channel from a network manager; andproviding the GBR services to the user device via the at least oneavailable CBRS channel.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein providingthe GBR services to the user device via the shared wireless resourceincludes exclusively providing the GBR services to the user device viathe shared wireless resource.
 17. A system comprising: one or moreprocessors; a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and one or morecomponents stored in the non-transitory computer-readable medium andexecutable by the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: determining a quality metric of a shared wireless resource;in response to receiving a request from a user device, determiningwhether the request is for Quality of Service (QoS)-sensitive services;selecting one or more channels among at least one of the shared wirelessresource or a licensed wireless resource based at least in part on thequality metric and whether the request is for QoS-sensitive services;and providing the services to the user device via the one or morechannels.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the shared wirelessresource is a Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band.
 19. Thesystem of claim 18, wherein the quality metric of the CBRS band does notexceed a threshold, the request is for non-QoS-sensitive services, orboth, and wherein selecting the one or more channels among at least oneof the shared wireless resource or the licensed wireless resourceincludes selecting the one or more channels exclusively in the CBRSband.
 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the quality metric of the CBRSband exceeds a threshold and the request is for QoS-sensitive services,and wherein selecting the one or more channels among at least one of theshared wireless resource or the licensed wireless resource includesselecting at least one channel in licensed spectrum.